As a little girl my aunt taught me a beautiful German folk song. The song "Es waren zwei Koningskinder" tells the tale of a prince and princess who wanted to be together, but both tragically died as they tried to swim towards each other on a large river. It must have been about 25 years ago when my aunt taught me this song, but it stuck with me ever since.
German Folk Song - "Es waren zwei Koningskinder"
Despite its beauty, folk music seems to be something of the past and many folk songs have disappeared with time. Thankfully, John Lomax shared my love and appreciation for traditional folk music. During the 1930's and 40's he traveled extensively throughout the United States and recorded thousands of these hidden treasures. Lomax visited small towns in the Apalachian mountains to hear old British and Irish folk songs, and went to prisons in the South to discover black folk music.
It was in one these prisons in the early 1930's that Lomax discovered Leadbelly, a black outlaw who had been in prison before and who was now charged with attempted homicide. It was said that thanks to Lomax, Leadbelly was able to leave prison earlier. Right after he was released from prison, the two of them traveled throughout the US to let Americans hear "negro music". In the video below you can see the real Lomax and Leadbelly and hear part of Leadbelly's most famous song "Goodnight Irene"
John Lomax: Leadbelly - "Goodnight Irene"
John's son Alan Lomax accompanied his father during many of his travels and decided at a young age that he would follow in his fathers footsteps. Alan Lomax not only traveled the US to find folk songs, but he also visited several European countries. He continued to collect folk songs until the 1980's, and eventually recorded many songs for the US Library of Congress. This year Alan Lomax's entire collection was made open to the public. On the website Cultural Equity 17,000 recordings collected by Alan and his father can be heard. Let's hope that through this website, traditional folk music will never completely disappear.
Alan Lomax
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